Police mark 10 years of city CCTV

Officers last night paid tribute to the “invaluable” crime-fighting tool, which has helped them make 4,723 arrests since the system’s launch in 1999.

But one local anti-CCTV campaigner sounded a note of caution, claiming that the cameras’ success rate in fighting crime was “abysmally poor”.

Antisocial behaviour, drug-dealing and armed robberies are among the offences police say have been solved, and scores of missing people have been spoted by CCTV operators.

Oxford had just three CCTV cameras 10 years ago – now it has a network of 51 reaching across the city, jointly funded by Thames Valley Police and Oxford City Council, which are operated from a control centre at St Aldate’s police station.

And the force in Oxford has told people in the city to expect increasingly hi-tech cameras in the future to help them catch even more offenders.

Insp Clare Mackintosh, of the force’s Oxfordshire basic command unit believes there is a “huge scope for development”.

She said: “I wouldn’t hesitate to explore further ways in which we can protect the community.

“In recent times, we have made good use of movable cameras, for example at St Giles Fair, where cameras mounted on cherry-picker hoists were monitored by operators at the police station.

“The technology now exists for us to link in with traffic management cameras, or with Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) and advances in 3G technology mean cameras could be much more easily sited and moved.

“This area of work is, quite rightly, very tightly regulated and there is strict governance around the appropriate use of CCTV.”

But No CCTV, a group which opposes the widespread use of surveillance, last night branded the cameras “costly and inefficient” and called for a debate over their use.

It was reported last month that 1,000 cameras operated by London’s Metropolitan Police had solved just one crime.

No CCTV’s Oxfordshire spokesman Charles Farrier said: “The crime-solving figures, for the money spent, are abysmally poor.

“We need to discuss this in the public domain and there needs to be an independent assessment of Oxford, so we can see the true state of affairs.

“Apart from costing millions of pounds, cameras are a huge invasion into privacy and contravene so many civil liberties.

“The worrying thing for people to consider is that, as the technology advances and the cameras get more intrusive, the situation is only going to get worse.”

Mr Farrier said he was also worried by the use of council-owned ANPR cameras to track where motorists drive around the city.

But Saj Malik, the city council’s executive member for safer communities, said: “CCTV has helped the police prosecute offenders and tackle crime that otherwise might not have been reported.”

Cameras haev recently been installed in Rose Hill, Wood Farm, Cowley Road and Barton, with Blackbird Leys set to be hooked up to the system in response to requests from residents and businesses.

Ms Mackintosh added: “In terms of crime and disorder, CCTV is now an integral part of many investigations, and an invaluable policing tool.

“There’s no doubt that our job is made easier by the advances in technology, particularly now that we have been able to extend our coverage into the outskirts of Oxford.

“For every member of the public who has concerns about the use of CCTV cameras, there are many more who feel safer walking the streets thanks to their presence”

She added: “It’s also an essential tool in the search for missing persons or vulnerable people who may need our help.

“Imagine if you lost sight of your toddler on a busy Saturday in Oxford.

“Who do you think would be most instrumental in finding them?

“Our operators are all experienced and valued members of staff, whose role is often overlooked. They play a vital part in community policing”.

Operators are given extensive training and when instructors think the time is right, they are put to the test.

A member of police staff will ‘disappear’ in the city centre and the new operator, armed with just a description of their clothing, has to find and follow their target through the streets.

dhearn@oxfordmail.co.uk

CAUGHT ON CAMERA 1

In May last year, Darren Johnson, 33, of no fixed address, pointed a loaded gun at a doorman outside The Bridge Nightclub, in Hythe Bridge Street, Oxford.

The club immediately alerted the police and CCTV operators located Johnson and followed his car as he drove around the city until he decided to abandon the vehicle.

The control room made a video recording of Johnson hiding the weapon under another vehicle, and kept him and his associates under surveillance until police arrived to arrest him.

When he appeared in court, Johnson was found guilty of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life and was sentenced by a judge to eight years’ imprisonment.

CAUGHT ON CAMERA 2

In September last year, Oxford University security camera operators spotted a robbery taking place in Broad Street late at night.

They alerted Oxford police’s CCTV operators, who took over the surveillance and followed one of the robbers, Phil Atherton, 46, of Abingdon Road, as he fled from the scene.

They were able to guide police officers as they hunted Atherton in the city centre and he was arrested.

The second man got away, but was recognised on screen a week later by a CCTV operator. The operator again guided patrol officers to the suspect and he was arrested.

Both men were later found guilty of the robbery and received prison sentences.

CAUGHT ON CAMERA 3

In August last year, two teenagers raided an Oxford jewellery shop, smashing display cabinets, above, and stole designer watches worth almost £40,000.

Solomon Smith, 18, and a 17-year-old youth – who cannot be named for legal reasons — were watched running from the scene and scrambling into their getaway vehicle.

Operators were able to follow the vehicle long enough for police to pick it up and arrest the pair.

Both were found guilty at Oxford Crown Court last month and were remanded in custody ahead of a sentencing hearing on Thursday.